India Calls Pakistan Naval Manoeuvre ‘Unprofessional’ After Arabian Sea Collision

India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan’s top diplomatic representative in New Delhi after a Pakistan Navy vessel collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea, with the Indian government describing the Pakistani manoeuvre as “unprofessional and unsafe." The clash happened on the evening of September 15 near Gwadar.

Damage was reported on the Pakistani side, and the vessel later went back to Karachi harbour; the Indian ship suffered no reported damage, the Indian government said. India has also taken up the matter with Pakistan through diplomatic channels.

The episode comes amid greater Pakistani naval activity in the Arabian Sea and has added a new maritime flashpoint to already strained India-Pakistan ties. The area where the collision occurred is one where naval vessels routinely carry out surveillance and other maritime operations.

Collision Near Gwadar

The two larger Indian naval vessels were monitoring a Pakistani naval exercise near Gwadar when PNS Hunain closed in at high speed. The Pakistani vessel was identified as PNS Hunain (F-273), an advanced multipurpose Yarmook-class corvette in active service with the Pakistan Navy.

Top Indian government sources said PNS Hunain tried to ram the Indian vessels. That manoeuvre ended in a collision with one of the Indian warships.

“The Indian ship was transiting as part of a routine mission. It is standard practice for warships to communicate with each other whenever there is any doubt regarding the other vessel’s navigation or manoeuvering. When the Pakistani warship came close to the Indian vessel, it carried out dangerous manoeuvres. Preventive measures taken by the Indian Navy helped prevent the situation from escalating," defence sources told CNN-News18.

MEA Protest Details

In a press release, the Ministry of External Affairs said the incident occurred in international waters and caused no major damage. It added that “the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991".

The ministry further said, “The Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan was advised to convey to the concerned Pakistani authorities, the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides in order to prevent any repeat of such incidents. The Charge d’Affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a similar protest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," it added.

That response set out India’s diplomatic line after the collision. It also tied the protest to an existing bilateral agreement on military exercises and troop movements.

Regional Naval Tensions

The collision came amid heightened Pakistani naval activity in the Arabian Sea. Pakistan has recently conducted the Karrar and Ababeel drills as it steps up maritime readiness amid wider regional security concerns linked to conflicts in West Asia and the Red Sea.

Pakistan has also maintained a heightened naval presence in the Arabian Sea, citing growing maritime security risks in the region. That has kept the two countries’ naval assets operating in close proximity.

The September 15 collision has now added a fresh maritime flashpoint to already strained India-Pakistan relations. Its immediate effect was diplomatic- India summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi and raised the matter through official channels.